The invention relates to improvements in apparatus for manipulating mass flows or streams of rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements in apparatus for merging mass flows of plain or filter cigarettes, filter rod sections, cigarillos, cigars, cheroots or other rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry. Still more particularly, the invention relates to improvements in apparatus for merging mass flows consisting of parallel rod-shaped articles which are transported sideways, i.e., at right angles to their respective longitudinal axes.
Apparatus for merging mass flows of rod-shaped articles are used in certain production lines for cigarettes, filter rod sections and other rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry. Hereinafter, such articles will be referred to as cigarettes with the understanding, however, that the apparatus can be used with equal advantage for merging mass flows of other rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry. For example, mass flow merging apparatus can be used to unite the outputs of two or more producing machines on the way to a lesser number of processing machines or to storage, or from two or more magazines to a lesser number of processing machines, such as packing machines or filter tipping machines. Furthermore, mass flow merging apparatus can be put to use in production lines which are composed of or contain large numbers of producing and processing machines, for example, to merge the outputs of two or more producing machines if one or more processing machines happen to be out of commission but it is desirable not to arrest the producing machines. Under such circumstances, the producing machines will be operated at less than their nominal speed.
Machines which employ apparatus for merging mass flows of cigarettes or the like are described and shown, for example, in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,462 (granted Dec. 21, 1982 to Tolasch et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,702 granted Dec. 28, 1982 to Tolasch et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,040 (granetd Mar. 26, 1985 to Baese et al.).
Commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,854 granted Apr. 27, 1986 to Selonke et al. discloses an apparatus wherein two mass flows of rod-shaped articles are advanced sideways along an upper and a lower horizontal path. A pivotable flap can be pushed aside to permit the articles to leave the discharge end of the upper path and to descend by gravity into the lower path. A drawback of the patented apparatus is that the articles are not adequately controlled during gravitational descent from the upper path into the lower path.